And throw me to the lesbians

Guess why it’s called the Electric Theatre

The photo above is of the Electric Theatre in Guildford. The bit with the lights on is the newest bit, created to provide a foyer, ticket office, bar, toilets and other audience necessities. The big bit with the sign on it, is the theatre.

It’s pretty obvious why it’s called the Electric Theatre though I only realised it when I took the photo. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed the sign before.

Last night I went to the Electric Theatre to see Jerry Springer the Opera performed by the third year students at the Guildford School of Acting. I am so glad I did.

Back in 2005, the BBC received the most complaints for a single programme when it announced it would be televising it. Even before the broadcast went to air, there had already been 47,000 complaints just based on the intent.

It also caused something of a furore when it was performed in Birmingham.

I have to say, I can fully understand what all the fuss was about. The writers, while pleading an innocence that defies logic, have set out to shock the audience with a raw insight into our car crash culture. And it is brilliant.

As I sat in the auditorium, looking at a set based on the Jerry Springer studio, I was instantly transported back to when I worked at Global Beauty and we would time our lunch in order to sit in the ‘staff’ room upstairs and watch Jerry and nearly choke on our food with his insane guests who just seemed to get more and more outrageous.

There was a big house in but, it was pretty obvious, most of them were fellow students. But this was no ordinary student production. It was beautifully performed and thoroughly enjoyable…if ‘enjoyable’ is quite the right word.

The show includes quite a lot of swearing (96 occurrences of the ‘F’ word alone), blasphemy and outrage. The ultimate and hilarious moment at the end of the first act has the Klu Klux Klan performing a tap dance as a cross burns behind them, centre stage.

It is provocative for a reason. The writers (Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee) are holding up a mirror to a society that hypocritically judges others without looking at themselves; a society that enjoys indulging in other people’s misery from a distance; a society that lives for it’s “…15 seconds of fame…” on the television. People were outraged at the opera for the same reasons.

The second half of the opera features Jerry mediating between Satan, Jesus, Adam and Eve, Mary and, finally, God and the heavenly host. (It’s all going on in his head as he lies dying from a gunshot wound.) Though Jerry maintains that he doesn’t “…do conflict resolution…” he is forced by Satan’s threat of eternal agony to try.

There’s not really a happy ending but, following the bows, there is a snappy little tap number made up of the entire cast singing a medley of songs from the show.

The production I saw tonight was excellent. The students performing should be very proud of themselves. I’m not talking about technicalities of voice, rather, I’m talking from the viewpoint of an ex-director, ex-performer and audience member.

The show had the essential requirements of non-stop energy, belief and perfect enunciation. As far as I was concerned, there wasn’t a weak performer in the show.

I would like to mention Emilie Fleming as Baby Jane who was excellent. She had the task of singing the wonderful This is my Jerry Springer Moment with the memorable line (in a show of many memorable lines) “Dip me in chocolate and throw me to the lesbians.”

The rest of the cast were all terrific. In a show that needs a strong ensemble, this cast was tremendous.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and haven’t laughed so much since seeing Legally Blonde.